"Vosne-Romanee is the greatest Pinot Noir village on Earth" - Clive Coates
I've written this before, but it's true: The greatest sin of 2006 Burgundy is that it came after 2005 Burgundy. (Naturally, it didn't help that prices rose due to the deadly combo of growers bumping their prices and the weak dollar - though don't worry, today we correct this pricing issue drastically.)
When it's priced right, 2006 offers a number of serious value-laden opportunities for the Burg aficionado. The best bottles from this vintage scream with bright aromatics, explode with flowers and nervous, twitchy fruit, crystalline depths anchored by minerals - and for the most part the 2006s are drinking well now!
It is a vintage with transparency, purity, and with so much agility. Rest assured, 2006 is the purist's delight and an *awesome* partner on the dinner table.
When you consider the quality, Potel's wines certainly represent one of the most shocking values in fine Burgundy.
The Potel style is never bullying, the wines speak clearly and confidently. The nose on the 2006 Vosne-Romanee is full of finely detailed fruit, tart cherry, dark raspberry and is edged wonderfully by plenty of Vosne spice (Burghound: "This nose is very Vosne..."). The palate is energetic though it has considerable elegance, with blackberry and mineral brushed across an impressively long mid-palate. This is juicy, gulpable Vosne with a pretty serious finesse to it and it's drinking just great now, and will probably improve over the short-term - say 5 years?
Even though Potel works an incredibly diverse collection of vineyards, from Clos de la Roche to Bonnes-Mares to Beaune "Greves" and beyond, the articulation in his wines is incredibly impressive. Each wine lovingly speaks of where it came from and this village Vosne-Romanee has everything that lovers of village Burg could ask for.
For the next few years, this wine will be the perfect complement to just about anything. Juicy and hedonistic enough to pair with Monday Night Football, structured and complex enough to accompany roasted pheasant.
Given his track record since 1999, his relatively swift ascension to the top of the class in the past few years, it's probably time to reconsider Potel's place in the Burgundian hierarchy overall.
Stock up while you can, because Burgundy of this quality, at this price, just doesn't last long. Please call the store at (212) 980-9463 or click below to secure your bottles as soon as possible.
Click button below to see our real-time online inventory of 2006 Potel Vosne-Romanee:
Nicolas Potel
Nicolas is the son of Gerard Potel, the former manager at the Volnay-based domaine Pousse d'Or. His entire lineup - including amazing Grand Crus, from Charmes-Chambertin to Clos Vougeot (to name only two) - shows off a particularly confident style of Burgundy, which is to say they are both concentrated and textured, while also having rock-solid foundations that easily support their ripeness. The 2006s certainly show more transparency and nimble-footed tension than the bigger 2005s. These will drink better, younger, so they're particularly good bottles to have around!
Potel is a "negociant," meaning he buys grapes as opposed to owning the vineyard and growing the grapes himself. While historically negociants have gotten a bad rap - the whole "quantity" versus "quality" thing - times have changed in Burgundy. Potel is not a big brand with numbers to meet; he is a winemaker that focuses in on "terroirs" that interest him, from the grandest of the Grand to the simple Bourgogne AOC - all are tremendous values.